Northern Arizona University has engaged The PICTOR Group, a nationally respected athletics leadership and strategy firm, to provide interim leadership support for Lumberjack Athletics. As part of this engagement, Tanya Vogel returned to NAU to lead the Athletics Department as of March 2, 2026, a role in which she will provide day-to-day executive leadership for the department during their transition.

As the interim leader, Vogel will work closely with university leadership, coaches, and staff to tackle the following priorities: 

• Sustain competitive and academic momentum throughout the department
• Support student-athlete success and staff effectiveness
• Strengthen engagement with donors and partners
• Ensure financial sustainability amidst a changing landscape for intercollegiate athletics and higher education
• Assess strategic positioning for NAU Athletics in relation to evolving NCAA regulatory frameworks
• Help prepare for a national search for NAU’s new Athletics Director

Vogel is a nationally respected athletics leader and former Director of Athletics at George Washington University, a role she held for nearly six years through May 2024. Most recently, she served as Interim Chief Operating Officer for Athletics at UC San Diego, supporting the department’s transition to full Division I membership while leading through the departure of their athletics director and the onboarding of new leadership. She brings deep experience guiding Division I programs through periods of change, as well as strong familiarity with NAU and genuine affinity for the Lumberjack community, where she served as Senior Associate Athletics Director from 2012-15.

Vogel, who has served on multiple NCAA committees, brings over 30 years of experience in athletics administration. As Director of Athletics at her alma mater, George Washington University (GWU), the department achieved 19 conference championships and maintained exceptional academic standards, with a graduation success rate of 94% in 2023.

Prior to arriving at Northern Arizona University in 2012, Vogel served as head women’s soccer coach at GWU from 2000-11, before moving into a development capacity. She became the first women’s soccer player inducted into the GWU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Vogel joined THE PICTOR Group as a consultant in 2024, where she applies her extensive experience in athletics administration, strategic planning, and leadership development to support intercollegiate athletics programs nationwide.